<p>Hello. I am currently a junior at Central Kitsap High School in Silverdale, Washington. I am currently inquiring about my ability to be admitted into different schools. As child I was a very high achiever. My grades all the way up through junior high school were very strong. As time passed, I found that I really had a burning desire to have a group of friends. I am in a military family and as a result I tended to move around frequently. Every time I changed schools I found it harder and harder to build a friend base. Being African American, I always felt very much like an outsider. The schools I attended had very small populations of African Americans, and the majority of those children were not very high achievers, and they tended to make fun of me. The other ethnic groups weren't much better. They constantly made racial jokes, and while I was around the topic of conversation was always about my race. When, I reached my freshman year of high school, I decided that enough was enough. I was not going to be an outsider any longer. In my immaturity, I felt that the only way to make friends was to be like them. If the other kids like me (as in African Americans) got bad grades, then I would too. So, I simply stopped caring about school. I stopped doing my work and applying myself. My plan worked, but I found that getting bad grades wasn't a good thing for my future (a timely intervention from my parents and other adults helped me see that). I began to turn my grades around in my sophomore year. But, by the time I finally took notice, the damage had already been done. I had gotten a D in English and Biology my freshman year, as well as a D in English my sophomore year, my other grades were C's (in my freshman year) and B's (in my sophomore year) and has left my GPA at a 2.75. Ever since then I have consistently earned B's in all my core subjects with one C (in Spanish 3). I have taken increasingly more challenging courses and have earned better grades than I did in my freshman/sophomore classes (for example. I have earned a B in my AP English course, as well as a B in my Advanced Chemistry course). I have recently taken the SAT and earned a 680 on the Critical Reading section as well as a 610 on the Mathematics section. I have been involved in various extra curricular activities including various sports, being the DECA president at my school, student body, and various musical awards (including being in all-state and all-northwest choir for the past 3 years, and competing at the Washington State Solo and Ensemble Competition). My question is, do I have a chance at being accepted into my choice schools? If not, what do I have to do to be acceptable? I have made a lot of changes and now am much more motivated to succeed in my education beyond high school. I honestly do not want my past experiences to truly ruin my chance at getting a better education. Thank you very much for your time. </p>
<p>I would like to attend the following schools:
Washington State University
University of Iowa
University of Idaho
Arizona State University
University of Arizona
University of Oregon</p>
<p>If anyone has any other suggestions for schools, it would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again for your time.</p>